Death's Door
by Kylie Anderson
Summary: When Don is seriously injuried, he finds himself at Death's Door. However, the case becomes more fatal when he is kidnapped and running out of time. Will he come back from Death's Door? Or will he enter forever?
1. Chapter 1

Death's Door

Chapter 1

A sharp pain filled his whole body. He wanted to scream in pain, but it hurt too much to even breathe. _Where am I? _He questioned. _ Why is there blood everywhere? Why am I in the middle of the road? Where am I? _

Slowly the questions began to fade out and were replaced with blackness. As Special Agent Donald Epps lay dying in the middle of the road, rain began to pour down wiping away the blood.

The rain kept Don awake. _Stop! Stop that rain! I just want to sleep a little longer…_ Don thought. The rain's soft pitter patter reminded him of the day when they buried his mother. The rain's sound reminded him of the day when he lost his little league team game. That game was so important to him. _Where was mom then? _Don thought, but then he remembered. His mother was getting Charlie a new tutor.

Don heard his name began called from afar. He wanted to call back in response, but it was impossible.

**\\//**

"_Sleep Donnie. Everything is going to be fine." Margaret Epps said softly. _

"_But mom, the thunder…" A child Don began._

_Margaret held Don tightly. "Shh...don't think of the thunder. Listen to the soft rain. It's such a pretty sound." Margaret said gently. _

**\\//**

"Mom…" Don moaned.

There was a rush of footsteps and more yelling. Sirens were roaring and red and blue lights were flashing through the rain. "Don, can you hear me?" A familiar voice asked.

Don thought for a minute. It was a kind female voice. "Megan," Don slurred.

"Good job Don!" Megan praised like Don was a child.

Another voice came after hers. It was a male, but the voice sounded so scared. "Donnie?" The voice called.

Don was being lifted by paramedics. Whose voice was that? Who? Who? As much as Don tired he couldn't tell who the voice belonged to. "Donnie? Donnie?" The voice asked again more panicky.

"Charlie…" Don muttered.

"Don!" Charlie said taking Don's bloody hand getting into the ambulance.

"'S 'kay buddy…" Don whispered.

After that there was darkness.

**\\//**

Megan held the cup of coffee as her life depended on it. There was silence in the waiting room. Megan looked up to see Colby and David staring at the floor as if hypnotized. Charlie was shaking. He kept looking at the blood on his hands. Don's blood. Alan didn't look much better as he too was very pale. "Charlie," Megan said gently walking over to Charlie. "Why don't we wash this off and get you something to eat?"

Megan was indicating to the blood on his hands. Charlie wasn't paying attention. "Seven, three, nine…" Charlie started muttering.

"Charlie?" Megan asked concerned.

"Three point one four divided by…" Charlie kept muttering.

Megan grabbed Charlie's hands and looked him in the eye. "Charlie, I need you to listen." Megan said.

Charlie looked at her dumb founded. "What?" Charlie asked disoriented.

"We're going to wash your hands off and get you something to eat." Megan said softly. "Alright?"

Charlie nodded. He stood up shakily and Megan guided him away. As soon as Charlie was out of hearing range, David swore. "What the hell happened?" David asked angrily.

"He was going home." Colby said. "He was hit by a car."

David nodded. "I know that, but why did he get out of his car in the first place?" David asked.

Colby looked back at the floor. "I'm sorry Mr. Epps. Don wanted to work later, but I told him to go home. He looked so tired." Colby said.

Alan didn't reply. After twenty minutes of silence, Megan and Charlie returned. Charlie was again muttering equations. Megan shook her head as she sat next to David. "I haven't been able to get him to stop muttering those equations since we washed off the blood." Megan whispered.

Alan looked wearily over at Charlie. "Stop it Charlie!" Alan snapped.

Charlie went immediately silent. "S…s…sorry…" Charlie stuttered.

The emergency room doors opened and Larry entered the waiting room. "How is he?" Larry asked breathlessly.

Amita ran in after Larry. "We got here as soon as we heard." Amita explained.

They both watched Charlie carefully. "Charles?" Larry asked gently.

"Twenty-nine and three fourths…" Charlie began again.

Amita walked over to Charlie and put her hand on his shoulder. "The answer's ninety seven. It's not going to change no matter how many times you try it." Amita said gently.

Charlie looked at her with dazed eyes. "I…I…I know." Charlie said.

Amita smiled at him. "Alright, then let's talk about what happened tonight." Amita said softly.

"Don…" Charlie said fading out.

Amita nodded. "It's alright Charlie." Amita said gently.

Again there was silence. A female nurse walked out with a smile. "Hello, are you the Epps party?" The woman asked kindly.

Alan nodded. "Yes?" Alan asked.

"I'm very sorry to tell you this, but Donald Epps is in a coma. He has also sustained massive internal bleeding. I'm afraid he won't last the night. The doctors give him about two hours at the most." The nurse said gently.

Alan seemed speechless. "Isn't there anything you can do for my son?" Alan asked shakily.

"I'm sorry sir, but there's too much damage. Your son will die peacefully. He won't be in any pain." The nurse said.

"Can we see him?" Megan asked.

The nurse nodded. "He's in room 212. I'll show you to his room." The nurse said sweetly.

The nurse led them down a hallway and opened the door revealing a pale body. The body was hooked up to different machines and seemed so small and deformed. Alan walked in first taking Don's hand. "Oh Donnie!" Alan exclaimed.

Charlie followed his father to Don's bedside. "Is this Don?" Charlie asked quietly. "He doesn't look right."

Amita held Charlie's hand. David, Colby and Megan all had tears in their eyes. Larry felt the same grief. Although he didn't know Don very, very well, he still worked closely with Charlie and Don. The Epps had become like family to him. David's phone rang. He answered it and then grimly closed it. "Don's accident wasn't an accident." David announced quietly.

Alan looked at him quizzically. "Crime Scene Unit just called. Don had been hit by a large truck getting onto the road next to the FBI building. He called in a report of what appeared to be a small child in a ditch. They found a flashlight, so they're guessing that Don got out of the car to help the child, but was hit by a truck. Other forensic evidence suggests that Don was hit on purpose." David explained.

"Did they find the child?" Colby asked.

David shook his head. "No," He answered.

"So the child was a lure?" Megan asked.

David nodded. "Damn!" Megan shouted angrily. "So some wanted to kill Don? I'll kill those animals! We'll find them. I swear to God if I have to die getting these…these…beasts I'll die! Damn!"

"Calm down Megan!" David ordered. "We all feel that way."

Megan shook her head looking at Don. "Is Don really going to die dad?" Charlie asked like a child.

Alan looked up at Charlie to see he had tears running down his face. "Yes," Alan answered.

"He can't die! Don wouldn't die!" Charlie shouted.

There was silence. This time it was not broken up by the sound of talking, but the sound of a heart monitor flat-lining.

A/N- I started this story a while ago, but didn't like the direction in which it was going, so I am currently in the process of rewriting it. However, I never would have thought about rewriting it if it wasn't for a certain reviewer named **Timespirt**. I would like to thank **Timespirt** for taking the time to PM me about this story. Enjoy this story!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

People were suddenly rushing in. Charlie was pushed aside. _Twenty-three and seventy-nine divided…_ The equations wouldn't stop. Alan grabbed Charlie and held him. _Nine thousand and forty five plus six hundred multiplied by X equals… _As soon as Charlie felt his father's warm figure embrace him, the equations stopped. The heart monitor was letting out a shrill sound and suddenly Charlie wanted the equations to start again.

The room was filled with nurses, doctors and other people dressed in white uniforms. Suddenly there was a beep. It was followed by another and another. "We've got a heartbeat." Someone shouted.

Charlie let out a breath of relief. Alan loosed his grip on Charlie, but didn't let him go. The doctors slowly filtered out and everyone else came in. "I'm sorry Mr. Epps, but our director called. He wants us back at work ASAP." David said sadly.

"He also says he offers you the best of luck." Megan said.

Colby shook his head. "I'd rather be here…for Don." Colby said quietly. "I'm so sorry."

Alan patted Colby's shoulder. "I understand. Don always is running out." Alan said gently.

"When Don wakes up, tell him we're sorry we couldn't be here." Megan said kindly.

They all knew Don wasn't going to wake up, but Megan hoped that by saying that it would give Alan faith. She knew it was going to be tough for all of them. She also knew she hated directors for making them going back to work when one of their own was fighting for his life. Megan, Colby and David slowly left the hospital room. "Charlie, I have to finish those equations, but if you need anything call me and I'll be over here in a second." Amita said giving Charlie a small hug.

Larry nodded. "I have to give a lecture in ten minutes. My cell phone is always on." Larry said patting Charlie's shoulder.

Charlie watched everyone leave. He knew what they were doing. Most people didn't think Charlie could ever notice human behavior, but he did. They were giving Charlie and Alan space. They needed space because Don… Charlie couldn't bring himself to say it. Don was going to die.

Don was going to die. Don was going to die. The phrase kept going in his head. All sixteen little letters were going around in his head. Charlie let himself cry. Suddenly his cries turned in to sobs that shook his whole body. "He can't die." Charlie muttered.

Alan held Charlie tight while he stared at Don's pale body. Alan began to cry as well when the memories started coming back. Don loved to play baseball and Charlie loved to figure out the statistics of Don's batting. Don broke that window. Don played that game. Don…Don…Don…Don was going to die and Alan couldn't do a thing to stop it. _Parents aren't supposed to outlive their children._ Alan thought darkly.

"Charlie?" A weak voice asked.

Charlie stopped crying. He knew that voice! That was Don's voice! But it was so quiet and so fragile like. Charlie walked over to Don's bedside. "Don, can you hear me?" Charlie asked.

Don gave him a slight nod. "Charlie…how…you?" Don asked struggling to get the words out.

"I'm fine!" Charlie exclaimed letting a few tears out.

Alan quickly walked over to Don and held his hand. "You gave us quite a scare." Alan said gently.

Don was already asleep again. "Charlie, get a doctor." Alan ordered firmly.

Charlie nodded and rushed out of the room. He returned with an old male doctor. The doctor quickly asked them questions and then asked that they left the room. "We have to run a few tests." The doctor explained.

Alan and Charlie both nodded and slowly walked out of the room. Charlie pulled out his cell phone to call Megan when a siren went off and red lights were flashing everywhere. A gunshot was heard coming from Don's room. Charlie jumped up and was about to race into Don's room when Alan held him back. "Charlie stay here!" Alan ordered as he rushed to the nurse's desk.

"What's going on?" Alan asked.

The female nurse looked distraught. "The patient in room 212 was kidnapped and Dr. Philips was shot! He's dead!" The woman said sobbing. "Dr. Philips was a great doctor."

Alan ran back to Charlie. "Call the FBI! Tell them Don's been kidnapped." Alan said quickly.

Charlie just stared at him like he couldn't understand. Alan grabbed the cell phone out of Charlie's hands and called the FBI himself.

Charlie couldn't do anything but stand still in shock.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Only a few minutes after Alan called the FBI, the hospital was swarming with agents. "What happened?" David asked Colby who was assessing the scene.

Colby looked around the room and stopped at the old doctor who was laying on the floor by a pool of blood. "Don woke up and Charlie rushed to get a doctor. Dr. James Philips was standing nearby and was Don's doctor, so he came into the room. By this time Don was asleep. Dr. Philips was going to need to run some tests so Charlie and Alan stepped out of the room. An unknown person climbed up a rope that led to this window. Dr. Philips pressed the emergency button and the suspect shot him in the head with one clean shot. The suspect then must have taken Don." Colby said.

"How could one person take a one hundred and fifty pound man?" David asked.

"Don was probably unable to fight back." Colby said.

David nodded. "Yeah, but the weight must have been too much to carry down the rope. Did anyone see anyone leaving this room?" David asked.

Megan walked to them. "No. The suspect must have take Don down the rope with him." Megan said.

"So he's probably rock climbed before?" Colby asked.

Megan nodded. "Or he's had training," Megan said looking around.

David sighed. "Has anyone spoken with Charlie and Alan?" David asked.

Colby nodded. "I got their statements." Colby said.

"So no one's really talked to them?" David asked.

Megan and Colby shook their heads. "I'll talk to them." Megan said.

Megan walked out of the room into the waiting room. She only saw Alan sitting down. "Where's Charlie?" Megan asked sitting next to Alan.

"Amita and Larry drove him home. He's not doing too well." Alan said.

"And how are you doing?" Megan asked softly.

Alan shrugged. "Why don't I drive you home?" Megan suggested.

Alan hesitated. "You haven't slept in a long time and you haven't eaten either. Please, let me drive you home." Megan offered.

Alan sighed. "Alright," Alan said. "But you have to find Donnie…"

Megan took his hand. "I will." Megan said.

With that Megan and Alan got up and left the busy hospital.

**\\//**

_Locked in a dark…cage?_ _Where am I? What's going on? _Don questioned as he slowly opened his eyes and scanned the room. It was very dark and so cold. Don realized he was laying on cement. _Maybe I'm in a basement. _Don thought, but then he saw the bars surrounding him. _But who has a cage in their basement? _

The silence was deafening to Don. Oddly enough, it scared him.

**\\//**

Back at the FBI building, Megan quickly stood up. "Hey you guys, remember Don called in saying he found a girl in the ditch?" Megan asked.

Colby and David gathered around her. "Yeah?" David prompted.

"The only girl to go missing around that time frame was Isabelle Day. It's possible she was used as lure." Megan said.

"So she's probably dead?" Colby asked.

Megan nodded her head. "Sadly, it's probably the case." Megan said.

David taped up the picture of the smiling thirteen year old girl next to Don's photo. Isabelle's hair was a light wavy blonde and her eyes were a stunning blue. "Too bad," David quietly commented. "She seems like a nice girl."

A/N- For those of you that have read this story before, I couldn't get rid of Isabelle "Izzy" Day totally… I just couldn't! So, she'll only appear in this story a bit.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Isabelle Day is the normal thirteen year old. She doesn't do drugs nor seem like the kind of girl to get in trouble." Colby said handing David Isabelle's school file. "So it's possible she was just taken at random."

David quickly scanned it. "She's a smart girl." David commented.

Megan put her head in her hands. "Okay so let's say some guy takes Isabelle and then uses her as a lure, but was he trying to get Don? It doesn't make any sense. Any of us could have stopped to help that girl." Megan said.

"Unless he was watching until he saw Don's car," Colby suggested.

**\\//**

Don laid completely still. He was ill and didn't know what he was up against. He had no idea who had taken him or why. All he knew was that he was sick, tired and cold. He didn't want to think anymore and fell again into a restless sleep.

**\\//**

"_Donnie? Is that you?" A voice called softly. "Donnie?" _

_There was darkness everywhere, but Don knew that voice. He just couldn't remember who it belonged to. "Hello? Hello?" Don called frantically trying to find the person. _

"_Donnie…" The voice said gently. "Donnie, I love you forever and I love you for always." _

_It was then that Don realized it was his mother speaking to him, but he couldn't see her. "Mom!" Don called before the blackness lifted. _

When the blackness lifted, Don saw that he was still in his cement cell. _I love you forever and I love you for always… _

**\\//**

**Five Hours Later**

Megan slammed her fist down on the nearest desk. "We've tracked down over a thousand leads and taken a hundred phone calls and we're still not even close. It's been five hours. Don's probably dead by now." Megan said angrily.

Colby and David didn't even bother to comfort Megan. They all sat in silence as they continued to work, but with each passing second, they knew it was getting less and less likely that Don was alive.

**\\//**

Alan was just sitting on the sofa. Never in his life had he felt so…helpless. He couldn't help Don. There was nothing he could do to save his son. When Don was little, he could always help him. Don would cut his finger and either he or Margaret would put a bandage on it and send him on his way. But this wasn't a mere cut on his finger…no this was something much worse. And it wasn't something Alan could fix.

**\\//**

Megan looked up from a phone. She quickly mumbled a thanks and then hung up. "They found the body of Isabelle Day!" Megan shouted.

Colby and David rushed over to her. "Where?" Colby demanded.

"Near a river," Megan replied. "She was shot in the head once."

"What are we waiting for?" David asked grabbing his coat and leaving the room quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

On the banks of a river, a teenage girl with stunning blonde hair that was now soaked with blood was surrounded by dozens of FBI agents. "Meet Isabelle Day," A person from CSU said sadly. "She was shot once in the head."

"Any fibers? Soil? Anything that could lead us to who killed her?" David asked.

The man nodded. "We found an odd, almost chalky substance on her." The man said.

"And you're running it, right?" Colby snapped.

The man nodded. "It's our first priority sir." The man said.

**\\//**

The sound of a gunshot slightly stirred Don. He was awake, but he felt groggy. He wasn't fully alert…and that scared him. There was now silence. Had he even heard a gunshot? Don closed his eyes. He moved his arm slightly to the right and found a sticky substance. Don immediately realized it as blood. There were angry voices and shouting, but Don couldn't make out what they were saying.

Don tried to stay awake, but he was too tired to keep his eyes open any longer.

**\\//**

"Has he come out of the garage?" Amita asked Alan who was sitting down on the sofa.

Alan shook his head. Larry looked at Alan worriedly. "Amita's going to go down to check on Charles, but why don't we get you something to eat?" Larry said gently looking over at Amita.

Amita gave Larry a slight nod to show she understood before going down to the garage. Larry put out a hand for Alan, but Alan simply waved it away. "I'm not hungry Larry." Alan muttered.

"Why don't you just get a little something to eat?" Larry said.

Alan shook his head. "It won't do Don any good when he comes back and you're too sick to take care of him." Larry persuaded.

Again, Alan shook his head. "Please, just have some soup or something." Larry begged.

"Stop it Larry." Alan said quietly.

Larry became oddly quiet.

**\\//**

Amita walked into the garage to see how Charlie was doing, but she already knew. "Hey Charlie," Amita said causally walking towards him.

There was no response from the man writing on the boards furiously. "Charlie?" Amita called getting slightly worried. "Charlie."

Touching his arm, Amita slowly pulled Charlie away from the board. Looking into his eyes, Amita saw the tears even before they fell. She pulled him into a hug as he let out heart stopping sobs.

**\\//**

Squeaking shoes awoke Don. There was a rattle of metal keys as they clanked on the metal bars. "Special Agent Donald Epps…my, my…Got yourself in a tough spot, huh?" A voice from above him taunted.

Don tried to focus his eyes and when he did, he saw a large man standing beside him. He was well built because he worked out. He didn't look dangerous, but Don knew…it was always the ones no one suspected.

"Who are you?" Don asked in a raspy voice.

The man sighed. "Brothers…such a pain! I had to kill my brother a short while ago…he was getting soft on me. He said he didn't want to kill you." The man said shaking his head.

_So that's what the gunshot was! _Don thought remembering hearing angry voices and a gunshot or two. "I shot at the ceiling first and then we argued some more before I finally killed him." The man said calmly. "So tell me, how is dear brother Charles?"

The man laughed as he left the cage. Don wanted nothing more than to scream for him to leave Charlie alone…but his voice failed to work.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Megan walked through the door of the conference room with a file in her hand. There was a slight smile upon her face. David and Colby looked at her expectantly. "What did you find?" Colby asked swiftly.

Handing the file to Colby, Megan began to explain. "Remember that stuff the CSU found on Isabelle Day?" Megan questioned.

David nodded eagerly. "Yeah, the stuff was like chalk." David replied.

"Apparently this is chalk only there's a special chemical breakdown to it. I honestly don't understand all of it, but it's so unique it's only used in one gym in LA called 'High Rise'. I guess they use the chalk for rock climbing." Megan said quickly with a smile.

Colby sighed shaking his head. "I know the place Megan. There's hundreds and hundreds of members." Colby said sadly. "We'll never be able to track down the guy that did this."

Megan still had a smile on her face despite what Colby was telling her. "I understand that. However, how many people go to that gym with a criminal record stating Don Eppes was the arresting agent? And how many people are convicted based on mathematical findings by Charlie Eppes?" Megan asked.

David let out a sigh of relief. "Tell me you got this guy!" David exclaimed.

"His name is Jerry Slimmer. Fifteen years ago, he murdered a man with a baseball bat. Don was the lead agent and couldn't figure out how to get the guy. He asked Charlie to help him and it ended up convicting him." Megan reported.

Colby looked at her oddly. "Fifteen years? What's he doing out of jail so soon?" Colby questioned.

Megan sighed. "The jerk got out on 'good behavior' three months ago." Megan said shaking her head. "He's on parole, but hasn't shown up for any meeting with his parole officer for a week now."

"Classic sign the guy's on the run." David responded.

Megan nodded. "The LAPD put out a BOLO on him four days ago. To make matters worse, they can't find his brother, Tim Slimmer, who threatened to kill Don and Charlie because he claimed Jerry was innocent." Megan said.

Colby stood up in one swift motion. "Wait, he also threatened to kill Charlie?" Colby asked worriedly.

There was a smile on Megan's face. "Relax, I already sent an LAPD officer over to Charlie's house. He's going to pick Charlie up and bring him here." Megan said already steps ahead of the others.

**\\//**

When Amita let go of Charlie, she wiped away his tears. "Don't worry Charlie," Amita said soothingly. "The FBI is going to find Don."

Charlie looked at her upset. "I _know_ that!" Charlie said frustrated. "But the question is, will they find him alive or dead?"

With a look of horror on her face, Amita held Charlie close again. "Charlie…they're going to find Don alive." Amita said firmly.

"I don't know Amita. Don was hit by a truck! He was in a coma! Then someone kidnaps him! There's only so much the human body can take!" Charlie said breaking away from her.

There was a clatter of footsteps before Alan and Larry appeared at the foot of the stairs. "Charlie? Amita?" Alan asked worriedly looking around the garage for them.

His eyes settled upon them as Charlie glanced at a chalkboard. "Is everything alright?" Alan asked concerned.

Larry nodded. "We rushed down here when we heard the raise in angry voices." Larry said repeating Alan's tone of concern.

Amita sighed before giving them a slight nod. "Yes, everything is fine." Amita replied lying.

**\\//**

David quickly flipped through a file. "Has anyone checked out Jerry's or Tim's houses?" David questioned.

Megan nodded. "LAPD cleared both houses. Neither of them are there." Megan said. "LAPD also checked all of the places they used to go to…bars, workplaces, their mother's house…It's like they've disappeared."

Colby shrugged. "It's like my fifth grade science teacher used to say 'matter cannot be created nor destroyed'." Colby offered with a smile.

**\\//**

There was a crash and before anyone noticed, a large man walked out of nowhere with a gun. "Hey!" Larry exclaimed putting his hands up.

Amita, Charlie and Alan looked so shocked. "Shut up! Put your hands up!" The man ordered.

It didn't take them long to obey that order. "Alright, you three go over there." The man said pointing at Amita, Alan and Larry and then to a corner.

Larry, Amita and Alan walked slowly over to the corner. In one swift motion, the man grabbed Charlie and dragged him off. Larry, Amita and Alan ran after the man, but only saw a large van leaving quickly.

**\\//**

Megan's cell phone rang. "Reeves," Megan answered. "Wait…are you sure? How could you let this happen? I'll…You know what, I'm coming over there. Stay where you are."

David looked at her worriedly. "What was that?" David questioned.

Closing her eyes, Megan sighed. "LAPD. Charlie's been kidnapped." Megan replied.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Staring at her, David shook his head. "Come on Megan…that's not funny." David said shakily.

Taking a deep breath, Megan glanced at him sadly. "It's no joke David. Charlie's been kidnapped." Megan said firmly.

Colby put his head in his hands. "What are we going to do?" Colby questioned frustrated.

Megan grabbed her coat without saying a word. David and Colby followed her actions for they spoke louder than words.

**\\//**

Alan sat with his head in his hands while Amita stood afar in a corner. Larry stood next to her. They were completely silent. David was the first to see them. "Are you alright?" David asked concerned.

No one responded, but they didn't need to. There was a police officer who stood near the doorway. Megan immediately realized him as the officer she had spoke to on the phone. While David and Colby were speaking to Alan, Amita and Larry, she made her way over to him. "Hey! What the heck happened here?" Megan asked in an angry tone.

Looking up, everyone began to keenly watch. "I'm…I'm sorry ma'am. As soon as I got you're call, I hurried over here. I guess the guy took Mr. Eppes before I even pulled in the driveway. I tried to take after him…" The police officer began stuttering.

"Yeah, well, that didn't work too well, did it? You let a felon get away! With a friend of mine! Do you know how much that makes me angry?" Megan questioned shouting. "If you called it in sooner, you could have gotten LAPD to set up a perimeter! You should have followed procedure!"

Putting his hands up in defense, the officer backed away slightly. "Ma'am, I did all I could…" The police officer began.

Megan shook her head. "No! You didn't do all you could! I'm going to make sure your badge is taken away and I'll see to it you never get a job in law enforcement again!" Megan shouted.

The police officer now looked as angry as Megan did. "Wait a minute! You're blowing this all out of proportion!" The officer yelled.

"Yeah, well I'd like to see how you would handle this if your boss and his brother were kidnapped! They're my friends! I'll be damned if _anything_ happens to them on _my_ watch!" Megan shouted. "If Charlie is injured in anyway, his blood is on your hands!"

There was a silence between the two of them. David and Colby seemed surprised at Megan's outburst of anger, however, they wanted to say the same thing. "Did you guys see anything?" David asked turning back to the others.

Amita shook her head. "He had a mask on." Amita said shortly.

"His van was white." Larry offered. "But that won't narrow anything down."

Colby sighed. "We don't need to narrow anything down. We know exactly who we're looking for. The question now becomes, where?" Colby explained.

Larry and Amita exchanged glances. "Do you think we could try…" Amita began.

Already, Larry was nodding enthusiastically. "Amita and I are thinking about applying values to where the suspect might go and it'll give us an idea of where the suspect is." Larry said swiftly. "However, we're going to need some data…"

Megan now looked over at them. "We'll get you anything you need." Megan said firmly.

**\\//**

Don awoke to find a figure sitting beside him. "Charlie!" Don exclaimed worriedly.

There was a smile on his brother's face. "Hey Don," Charlie replied casually.

"Are you hurt?" Don questioned.

Charlie shook his head. "I…I guess this is what Larry was talking about when he was talking about confided spaces…" Charlie said attempting to lighten the mood.

However, Don did not look any happier. "Do you know what's going on?" Don asked sighing.

Charlie shook his head again. "Don, what do you think will happen to us?" Charlie asked quietly.

There was a silence before Don shifted his weight a bit. "I'm not sure buddy." Don said sadly. "I'm not sure."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A cell phone began to ring shrilly. Megan quickly fumbled through her pockets before finding the cell phone. "Reeves," Megan answered in a fast tone. "Are you sure? Alright. We'll be right over."

Alan looked at her, but Megan didn't make eye contact. "LAPD found a body." Megan said to David and Colby.

Larry, Amita and Alan were standing shocked. Noting their faces, Megan quickly smiled. "They found Jerry Slimmer's body." Megan verified.

David and Colby quickly got their coats. "We're going to find them." Megan said before walking away.

**\\//**

It was silent. Footsteps entered the cage. "My, my…I have you both!" The man, Tim Slimmer, exclaimed. "Now, what are you going to do?"

He pulled out a gun. "Say goodbye…" Tim said with a smile before there was a sound of a gunshot followed by another.

**\\//**

Walking to the Eppes house was probably the hardest part of Megan's entire career. How could she tell Alan? How could she face Amita and Larry's questions? She hesitated before knocking. When she knocked, the house seemed as hollow as her heart. Alan opened the door and he didn't even need her to speak. He already knew. "We found them." Megan whispered with tears in her eyes.

Alan closed his eyes. "Megan…" Alan cried out in pure pain.

He was more lost than he ever was. "Mr. Eppes…they're on their way to the hospital." Megan said trying to understand the howl he had given her.

There was a look of shock on his face. "W…What? What happened?" Alan demanded.

Megan shook her head. "We don't know right now Mr. Eppes, but Charlie and Don are alive." Megan said softly.

By now, Amita and Larry stood behind him. "I'll drive." Amita offered.

**\\//**

David and Colby were standing in the hallway of the hospital when Alan, Amita, Larry and Megan tore in. "They're in here." David said opening the door to the hospital room.

Inside, Charlie and Don laid on the hospital beds fully awake. "I'm telling you Don, if you had swung the bat to the left, you could have won the game." Charlie said with a smile on his face.

Don shook his head. "Look, Chuck, I wouldn't have won anyway…" Don fired back.

Alan sighed in relief that his two sons were alive…and bickering. "Charlie! Don!" Alan exclaimed rushing to give them both a hug. "What happened?"

Colby, David and Megan were nodding in encouragement. "What did happen?" Colby asked in a soft tone.

There was an exchange of glances between Don and Charlie. "Don decided that we had to take matters into our own hands. He told me that when the man entered the room, to distract him." Charlie began with a shrug. "Don was able to get the gun away from the man and shoot him twice."

Don shook his head. "Unfortunately, this guy didn't have the keys with him. He was planning on killing Charlie and I before shooting himself. So, we had to try and figure out how to get out." Don said sighing.

"The man had a piece of metal that I bent to make into a makeshift key." Charlie said. "When we got out, Don was able to find a phone and call 911."

David nodded with a smile. "You guys did great." David praised. "We were running out of ideas. We knew who kidnapped you and we had the younger brother's body, but we had no idea where you were."

Everyone was smiling and for once, Don and Charlie felt entirely safe.

**\\//**

**Five Days Later**

David placed a file on Don's desk. Looking up at David questioningly, Don gave him an odd smile. "What's this?" Don questioned.

There was a small smile on David's lips. "You know that girl you tried to save?" David asked.

"Yes?" Don asked back now opening the file.

"She was a smart girl. Her parents gave me a sample of her writing and wanted you to have it. They're endlessly thankful that you were kind enough to stop and are sorry about everything that happened to you." David explained.

With that, David left. Looking around the office, Don found he was alone. It was a late night after all. He began to read the paper to himself silently.

_Death's Door_

_Upon sitting at Death's Door, a man wanted nothing more than to enter. He wanted someone to invite him into the lavished afterlife. This man, a strong, yet weary fellow, had lost everything that was ever keen to him. Like a thief, someone stole his pride when all he ever wanted to do was help. A man like himself had done nothing against mankind. He had never broken any law nor rule. The veracity of the situation was this, if anything, this man was too gentle. Waiting, the man knew he had no choice but to enter. He could not take the pain of loss any longer. However, he would not enter unless he was forced to. _

_Eventually, an amiable elder woman opened the door. "If you have come to enter this house, you have been foolishly mistaken." The woman said gently and calmly. "You will be loved forever and you will be loved for always. Be patient and help shall come to those who wait. If help does not come to you, you must go to it. Good day sir," _

_With a soft creak, the heavy oak door closed for a while. In time, the man knew he would enter the beautiful threshold to be reunited with the elder woman, but for now, he had nothing but time. _

_Death's Door was like a misty fog over the man's life. His dreams were haunted by its heavy oak door. Remembering the woman's words about seeking assistance, he reached out and many hands carried him along. Realizing that humans often are scared by things they do not fully understand, the man need not worry about Death's Door any longer. He would find out what lay beyond its thick oak soon enough. _

_Written by: _

_Isabelle Day _

His mother always told him good writing made you think of who it was written for, but with excellent writing, you knew. Don knew that this was written to him in some odd way. He could almost hear Isabelle talking directly to him.

One thing was for sure, Don had a brush with death…but he wouldn't enter Death's Door anytime soon.

**The End**

Disclaimer: I do not own Numb3rs.

A/N- This is probably the toughest piece I've had to write. I was totally having writers block and personally, I hate this story. Please, check out my other stories! They're much better!

Kylie Anderson


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